1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wagering and gaming devices and improvements theretofore including more opportunity for player choices during each round of the game and, more particularly, is concerned with a system for providing real time determination of awards adjusted to account for variations in player strategy,
2. Description of the Related Art
Operators of wagering games are continually seeking new game ideas which provide wide player popularity to promote greater player enjoyment, increased volume of play, and ultimately, higher revenues from their gaming operations. From the point of view of an operator, a successful wagering game is a game which provides the operator a fixed share of all moneys wagered which are within acceptable statistical limits governed by the laws of probability. The operator's share, when expressed as a percentage of the total moneys wagered, is referred to as the "hold percentage." In precise mathematical terms, the hold percentage is the Mathematical Expectation (also referred to as the expected value) of the percentage of moneys wagered, that is kept by the game.
From the point of view of a player, a popular wagering game is a game which is easily understood, entertaining, and perceived as fair by the player. An easily understood game is typically a game that the player can learn to play without investing substantial amounts of time and money learning the rules of the game. Hence, many new wagering games are based upon existing games, such as draw poker, which are well known to the wagering public.
Further, the most entertaining games are often those games which offer players choices of different strategies to employ to win the game so as to provide the player with the perception that he has some influence over the final outcome of the game. Generally, players also prefer games in which, during any one extended play session or round, there is a reasonable chance of winning more than what is being risked in order to play the game. Preferably, the game must, on average, provide the player with a predictable share of the moneys wagered which are within acceptable statistical limits governed by the laws of probability. The share of the money wagered that is returned to the player is commonly known as the "payback percentage." Games with high payback percentages are generally preferred by players, as the perception that the players may win more than what they are risking on these games is generally stronger.
However, many players of wagering games are dissuaded from playing a certain type of game when they feel that the game is designed so that only experienced or intelligent players are likely to be successful. For example, a player who lacks the rudimentary knowledge of the strategies and probabilities used in playing poker is, of course, less likely to sit down and play a game of poker. Consequently, wagering games where the player must make decisions and select strategy which can potentially influence the outcome of the game often discourage less experienced players from playing. Hence, a need exists in the prior art for a wagering game which provides an opportunity for players to make decisions which can potentially influence the outcome of games, to thereby enhance the entertainment value of the game, but does not necessarily penalize the player for making less than the best decision in selecting strategy.
Additionally, a need also exists in the prior art for a game which supplies the player with more information about the potential outcome of the game using a contemplated strategy so as to allow the player greater choices and more information in evaluating differing strategies for playing the game. Specifically, even those players who are sufficiently skilled to ascertain the optimum play strategy are often inclined to select a less than optimum play strategy when playing a particular hand. Consequently, the wagering game would be more popular to these players if the awards they received for selecting the less than optimum play strategy is increased. Further, if the potential increased awards for the non-optimum strategy are displayed to the player, the player can use this information in selecting strategy and the popularity of the game would be further increased.
Furthermore, many governmental agencies are now sponsoring wagering games such as lotteries. One feature of the games that are allowed in many different states is that they must be games of chance where skill cannot influence the outcome of the game. Heretofore, this requirement has limited the wagering games in these jurisdictions to only those games, such as lotteries, where no matter the selection or choice made by the player, the likelihood of any single player winning is the same as it is for any other player for equal wager amounts. This, unfortunately, has limited the wagering games that can be provided in these jurisdictions, and, furthermore, many of these jurisdictions are experiencing a decline in the popularity of the games currently available which has resulted in a corresponding decline in government revenue provided by these games.
Hence, there is a further need for a simple wagering game that affords added entertainment by providing the players an opportunity to make choices and select strategy during the course of the game, that is still a game of chance, and that does not reward skilled or experienced players over less experienced players. Further, there is also a need for a game which adjust potential awards based on player strategy and which displays the adjusted potential awards to the player to provide the player with additional information to use in selecting a game playing strategy. Such a game can then be used in those states which limit wagering games that are not games of skill but games of chance only.
In order to rectify these shortcomings, Applicant has developed the following invention which can be used to provide a wagering game which can provide additional information about the outcome of the game based on a strategy contemplated by the player. Further, Applicant's invention can also be used to modify a game so that the amount of money won by choosing the optimum strategy over a long period of time is substantially equal to the amount of money won by choosing a non-optimum strategy.